As fate would have it
by shatterproof-heart
Summary: I didn't chose this life: it chose me. Now all I have to do is survive, and that is no easy task when your mentor is the widely known and feared Deathstroke. Tim Drake and OC
1. Prolouge

Hi everyone! I'm just trying something out with this one. Please R&amp;R

disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or Batman

Deathstroke's POV

Pathetic. He didn't even try to fight back. Weak. All he did was run. Coward . He couldn't face the consequences of his wrong doings. I smirked behind my mask. This would be too easy.

I wasn't always like this. Once, the thought of starting a family again and retiring hadn't been that far from my mind. It was too late now, though. I was in my early fifties and was leading a life that most people wouldn't even dare to dream of. My name was feared everywhere. My days were filled with planning and hunting down my newest target. People hired me because they trusted me with one thing: I never miss a shot.

The man whom I had been pursuing with rapid warning shots ran into a parking garage. He slowed down his pace. ha. He must have thought he was safe. That would be his fatal mistake. I moved along the roof top on which I stood so I could clear angle of the mob boss. I assembled the sniper I always had with me and aimed. But suddenly, a new player entered our game of cat and mouse.

It was a little girl. She was surrounded by five menacing bodyguards. She seemed only about three years old. She ran over to my target with a gleeful cry of "Daddy!" My hand faltered on the trigger of my gun. So, this was why the man wanted to leave so badly. He wanted to take his little girl out of the line of fire. I still had a clear shot, so why wasn't I shooting?

After a pause, I put the gun away. I'm not sure why exactly, but I was feeling exceedingly gracious today. Maybe it was because this scene reminded me of my long dead son I had years ago. He had been the only person that I could say I cared about. I wouldn't kill my target today. No. He had twenty four hours with his daughter before I found him again. Only twenty four hours 'till I caught my prey.

When the time came, I took the shot. After all, I always get the job done. I killed off the bodyguards as well. No witnesses should be left alive. I had just finished off the last bodyguard with a bullet when a heard a sneeze behind me. I whipped around and aimed my gun at the heart of the mob boss's daughter. Even today, I still don't know why I didn't eliminate her. It might have been the way she starred at the gun with curiosity instead of fear, or the way that she seemed to understand that her father was gone, but didn't cry. Just like my son. I am not sure what came over me, but I took the newly orphaned child in and trained her. It was that night that her path to become the next major assassin began.


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey Everyone! This is chapter one. I apologize for any mistakes I make on this. I'm still a beginner. **

**I would also like to thank Book Lover13 for her/his encouraging reviews on my other stories. You made my day!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or Batman**

Phantom's POV

Animal instinct. That is what I thrived upon; what kept me alive. Believe me, you needed it in the business I was in. If you didn't know how to survive you would be killed off immediately. I had seen it happen before. I lived by the code "Kill or be killed."

I go by Phantom now. No one calls me by my real name anymore. Not even my mentor, Slade Wilson. People knew me as the very young, yet ruthless assassin for hire and not the insecure teenage girl I was on the inside. However, its not like I would show that side of me to people. Weakness wasn't tolerated in the Light. So that is how I stayed: Indifferent, fierce, intimidating, and slowly feeling my true identity slip away.

I was currently at one of my few gigs in Gotham. I almost never went to Gotham by myself because of the Bat clan, but Deathstroke had made sure that the more dangerous members weren't patrolling tonight (how he knew all that I don't know, but I learned a long time ago not to question him) before he sent me. These were the few moments that I had without Deathstroke, or Sportsmaster, or any one else in charge. And I cherished every second of these rare scraps of freedom. A group of men and I were unloading Cobra weapons into Gotham at an abandoned dock near the outskirts of the city. I wasn't speaking to any of them and they knew better than to speak to me. I was merely an intimidating presence that they didn't dare to defy supervising them at the moment. My mask only allowed them to see my left dark green eye, which I always kept void of any emotions with the exception of cruelty.

I blended into the shadows. The only way for my men to see that I was still there was the glint off the silver right half of my mask. The left side was black and only covered my chin up to the bridge of my nose. The silver half covered from my chin to the top of my forehead with a peacock feather shaped eye hole. A sleek black catsuit allowed me to disappear into the darkness of the shadows of Gotham as well as a Bat. Kevlar shoulder and chest/stomach plates protected the majority of my vital areas from bullets. I also wore elbow length black gloves that contained a tazer and steel claws. My mid thigh glossy black boots held two boot knives each and were both steel tipped. My waist length raven hair was done up into a bun with two extremely thin yet sharp blades (**A.N. like Roulette from Justice League Unlimited: Grudge Match)**. Two silver katannas were strapped criss-cross on my back along with an intervention sniper and a utility belt containing smoke bombs, a grappling hook, a couple silver daggers, etc. and the holsters for my two m9 Beretta pistols (all of my guns were silenced of course) adorned my thin waist. To top that all off, a black choker with a silver crescent moon pendant wrapped around my neck. I looked so much different from the pathetic weakling I knew I was on the inside. I looked and felt powerful.

My thoughts were jolted to the present when I noticed the lack of guards around the perimeter around the docks. Then I saw him. It was a Bat. I felt my teeth clench. There was no way that I would fail my mission because of a member of the flying rodent fan club. "Continue as planned, but hurry." I addressed the soldiers nearest to me. They nodded in acknowledgment. I turned away and used my grappling hook to swing up to the nearest warehouse. It was time to go and clip a little bird's wings.


	3. Chapter 2

**I'm so sorry if this sucks. I was up till one am last night because I was watching a marathon of the first season of Arrow (AMAZING show btw ) which was about five hours with my cousins and am very tired. **

**This goes out my cousin Abby: Happy 14 Birthday! Love ya!**

**Oh, one more thing: This takes place during season...3 (I think) of Young Justice, so Tim is still Robin and around 14**

**Disclaimer: don't own DC comics**

**Robin's POV:**

I crouched on top of an empty warehouse. I could clearly see men loading crates of weapons into a couple of large army like trucks. My operation seemed simple enough: take out the thugs and confiscate the weapons. Easy, right? I hoped so. Almost all the Bat Family members were either on some sort of League business or was patrolling in another city. I wouldn't get any back up tonight.

I had already taken out the perimeter guards without using up too much of my energy. They had all been trained very well, but none of them had been trained by Batman himself. I smirked and muttered "Piece of cake" under my breath. Suddenly, a cold feminine laugh sounded behind me. "Oh, you wish it were that easy." I whipped around only to be met with a fist to my gut.

I groaned, but successfully dodged the next kick my attacker threw at me. I swung a left hook at her face, but I hit thin air. Then for the second time in the last five minutes, I was socked in the gut...again. I successfully did back handspring to try to make space between us. Thankfully, it worked. I finally got a clear view of my attacker. It was a girl about my age, I think. She was dressed in all black with an array of silver weapons all strapped to her within the reach of her steel tipped gloves. She kind of reminded me of Deathstroke... "You're new." I deadpanned to try to buy me some time to figure out a plan. She gave a nonchalant shrug, as if she hadn't just tried to break one of my ribs. "I needed a change of scenery." I could hear the smile in her mocking voice."Though I was a bit disappointed to find you up here, Little Bird. To be honest I was hoping for a Nightwing appearance or maybe even the big, black Bat himself." I knew that she was just trying to make me angry, and she was succeeding. I whipped out my my expanding bo staff as she drew a silver katanna from a sheath strapped to her back. " Sorry to disappoint you, Princess,but its only me tonight." I said as we began to circle around each other. She suddenly sprang at me and our weapons met with a clash. " Well let's see if you can keep me... entertained." she laughed. I felt myself smirking. We both began to exchange a fury of blows: some hit and others didn't. The tables finally turned when I caught her foot which she had been aiming a solid kick towards my head with. She struggled to gain her balance for a moment. I took advantage of her moment of weakness and tackled her to the ground. She looked up at me with her one visible green eye and said" You're good." as she flipped me off of her and onto my knees. "But I'm better." With those words she unexpectedly kicked me in the back of the head with her _lovely _steel tipped boot. I felt my body slump to the ground as my vision began to turn black around the edges. " Don't take this personally, Little Bird. I really did have fun...its just I don't like people who mess with my work." She said in an indifferent tone." " Who are you?" I groaned. I was on the borderline of unconsciousness. She chuckled and held my face in her hands. She was surprisingly gentle. "Phantom" she whispered before jabbing a nerve on my neck, effectively knocking me out.

**Yay! I got to Robin's POV finally! I know how I want this story to end, but I need ideas for the middle. Are there any specific ideas you want to be in this story? I am open to any ideas! Thanks **


	4. Chapter 3

**Sorry this took so long. I tried to post this on Friday, but my **_lovely_**computer decided to turn off before I saved anything. Please R&amp;R!**

**Disclaimer: Wally would still be with us if I owned Young Justice**

**Phantom's POV:**

"Your learning." A smooth female voice said behind me as Red Robin slumped to the ground. I didn't turn around, but I couldn't help but feel a little happiness at the familiar presence. "Are you usually this chatty with your... victims? Does Slade know his emotionless apprentice was _flirting_ with a Bat boy?" I rolled my eyes and finally faced her. " What Slade doesn't know won't kill him." I replied sarcastically. Cheshire chuckled and took off her mask. "Careful, now. You're starting to remind me of myself." "Better than Queen Bee." I joked dryly. It seemed like old times for moment or two. "So," I started a little awkwardly. "What brings you to here? I haven't seen you since you left, and that was months ago." I knew I was being candid, but Jade was used to me being straightforward. After all, we went WAY back. Jade's mood suddenly turned serious. "Phantom, do you trust me?" she asked quietly (aka: not Cheshire-like at all). I didn't even think twice before saying. "Yes, I do." It was true, too. The business I was in taught me not to trust anyone, but I made an exception for Cheshire. Jade was my stand in mom/older sister/friend. She didn't know my real name, but she was the only one besides Deathstroke to ever see me without a mask. Deathstroke wasn't exactly the ideal loving father. His idea of a father/daughter bonding time was to assent some high-class senator. Yeah... my life wasn't even close to normal, but Jade had helped me cope. I don't know who I would be today if Jade hadn't been there." You can't tell anyone what I'm about to show you." "I won't." Jade glanced around us. We were alone except for Red Robin's unconscious body on the metal rooftop. After confirming we were alone, she reached into the pack strapped to her back and brought out something small in a bundle of blankets. " Phantom, meet your new goddaughter: Lian Harper."

I stared in shock at the small red headed baby. That little girl had done something not many people could: she rendered me speechless. "M-my goddaughter...but how?" Jade pulled off her left glove to reveal a thin bold band around her ring finger: a wedding ring. "Red Arrow." was all she said. A long silence stretched between us. "Look, I know that you may not approve of my child or husband, but-" "No." I stopped her. I took off my mask to show the happiness that radiated from my eyes. I wasn't smiling. I had stopped doing that in public years ago, but Jade knew that, too. " I'm proud of you." I said firmly. I leaned over and brushed a chaste kiss over little Lian's head. " Take good care of your mom for me, okay?" I said to the infant. Jade smiled softly and strapped Lian onto her back. "I'll see you soon, Phantom." she said as she put her mask back on. "You're men are done." I looked over the edge of the rooftop to see that she was correct. Cheshire's footsteps echoed behind me and then disappeared. I sighed and put my mask back on and hardly flinched at the touch of the cool metal against my skin.

***************************************BREAK LINE***********************************************************************************************

I left Robin on the rooftop-alive. I was not my killing machine of a mentor/father Slade.

I was quiet on the way back to the Light's HQ. No one questioned my little "escapade" to the rooftops. We were in the city of the Bats, after all. My thoughts were mainly concentrated on my new goddaughter and the wedding band around Jade's finger. Most people in the Light would be furious with Jade's choice. She left and married a _hero_ for goodness's sake, I was secretly happy. She deserved so much better than the life that she was given by the Light. She had found the courage to break free from the coils of Light. Now all I had to do was try to be brave enough to follow.

I met Slade at HQ two hours later. "Any complications?" He asked through his mask. "No." I answered, leaving out the fact that I had a run in with Red Robin and Cheshire. He nodded and turned to my team of men who were standing a respectful distance away from us. "Dismissed." Death stroke barked at them and watched as they quickly filed out of the hall way we were in. "There are some people who are requesting to see you." he said as soon as we were alone. Sade turned and began to walk down the corridor without any more explanations. I followed him into a large conference room near the end of the hall, and it took all my year of training not to flinch when I saw its occupants.

Queen Bee and Vandal Savage both looked up at the sound of new footsteps. "Ahh, Phantom, darling. How are you?" ask Queen Bee in her overly sugary sultry voice. I forced myself to politely reply. "Fine." Vandal Savage nodded at me, acknowledging my presence. "It seems that we are still missing two members." Savage said after greeting Deathstroke. "On the contrary." A new voice rang out from the doorway. I looked over to see Black Manta and a young man walk in. The man was African American,like Manta, and seemed like he was 19-22 and very short hair. Both he and Black Manta wore black plated body armor and carried black helmets with red lenses under their arms. "Manta." My mentor greeted him. "Slade." Manta responded. After greetings were made all around Slade pushed me forward. "Black Manta's son is putting together a strike team and we all agreed that you would be a logical choice to join." he said emotionlessly. I growled on the inside at the job he was forcing me to agree on without any warning. But I knew better than to question him, especially in front of others. I still had the scars from last time. I clenched my teeth and looked at Black Manta's son. "I'd be honored, sir." I said as emotionlessly as Slade. "Please," he said extending his hand to shake mine." Call me Kaldur."

**That is the end of chapter 3! How did you like it? Do you have any questions or ideas? Don't be afraid to tell me by reviewing or PM ing me!**


	5. Chapter 4

**HI! I'm back with more of the story! I haven't updated for a while because of writer's block and computer issues**

**Special thanks to:**

**Art Of The Instakill**

**Joker's Lover**

**Me: I don't own DC**

**Catwoman: because if she did she would have added me to the Young Justice TV show**

**Phantom's POV:**

"Where's Kaldur?" I had been hearing snippets of the conversion happening at the other corner of the mission briefing room for minutes, now. It had been about a week since our team had been created. Team. Ha. The word still seemed foreign to me. We weren't a team. We were a loosely held together bundle of rage. "You mean the daddy's boy?" I couldn't help the discreet glare I shot at Icicle Junior. Was he seriously this stupid? There were cameras and microphones everywhere! "I'm not that concerned about our BOSS, Junior. What I'm concerned about is the fact that we have a little girl on the team. I'll bet that she can't even drive yet!" A female voice with a southern drawl stated bluntly. Those lines were obviously said loud enough to challenge me. I guess Tuppence wasn't exactly aware of the fact I could take her down in at least 7.14 seconds. I ignored her, though. I was too busy thinking. Kaldur's team had given me something I had wanted for months, even years now: an opportunity for escape. Being on the team would provide easy excuses for going out and would give me easy access to the Light's secrets if I needed them to bargain my freedom.

"Phantom was hand picked by Black Manta and if you have an issue with her, take it up with him." Kaldur walked into the room followed by a stranger. She wore a black and orange striped suit and a tiger like mask. I didn't look up, but watched her out of the corner of my eye. Deathstroke had taught me to trust my instincts, and my instincts were now shouting that there was something off about this girl. A large yellow pendant hung from her neck. That got my attention. Could that be a—"Phantom." Kaldur broke me out of my train of thought. "Any words to add?" I looked up and narrowed my eyes at the tiger girl for a split second before coldly replying with a simple "Not at all." "Good." Kaldur took a seat at the head of the meeting table in the room and motioned us all to sit. "Then let us begin."

**Tigress's POV: **

The level of calm and authority Kaldur displayed was surprising. We were surrounded by 2 Superboy like powered twins, a frost covered frozen killer, and the next Deathstroke, and yet he made it very clear that he was not to be argued with. 'That's good.' I reasoned. 'The less questions the better, right?' But it was still slightly unnerving to see how well he did with villains. He _was_ always a natural born leader, though.

"Who is she?" Icicle Jr. stated bluntly as he pointed at me with a blue finger. I narrowed my now dark eyes at him as I sat beside Kaldur. Tuppence and Tommy both glared at me suspiciously and nodded in agreement. "I've never seen you before." Tommy scanned my features as if he could pry into my thoughts just by looking. I fought the urge to smirk. They were really as dense as Conner had said. Instead I glared at him and opened my mouth to respond, but a smooth, yet cold voice beat me to it. "Shut up, Terror. I'm getting tired of your incapability of catching on. She's part of this _team_. End of story." I looked over at the teenager sitting across from me. She seemed bored, but I knew better. She had a dangerous glint in her eye, almost as if she was calculating how hard it would be to take us all down. I knew that look. I saw it every time I looked into the mirror. She settled her one visible green eye on me. A sudden chill swept through my bones as she seemed to glean all my secrets in one glance. I broke eye contact first. Her stare reminded me of a batglare, and that reminded me of all I was missing. The team, my mom, …and Wally. I subconsciously rubbed the spot on my stomach where Kaldur had "stabbed" me last night on the beach. I shared a look with Kaldur and suppressed a sigh. We were so in over our heads.

###################################################################################################################

Phantom's POV:

"Silence." Kaldur commanded sternly. I shifted my gaze over to him. It wasn't my fault that my mentor had shoved me into a mess of teenage villainous catfights! After making sure he had all our attention he continued. "It seems that you all aren't fond of being roundabout, so I'll make it simple. We are planning to destroy Mount Justice."

**I absolutely love Artemis, so I had to add her. I'll try updating at least once a week from now on. Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	6. Chapter 5

**I'm not going to make excuses. I should've updated, but I didn't. End of story.**

**This is just a note to all who read the chapters before I changed them…3 minutes before I typed this: Tim is Robin. I don't know what I was thinking making him Red Robin. Sure, I think that RR is slightly cooler, but I'm following the season 2 plotline. Apologies. Ok! Enough stalling! On with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything…besides, would I lie to you? …. Don't answer that.**

**Phantom:**

"This isn't right!" My thoughts screamed out at me, but I tried to push them to the back of my mind. The mission briefing had finished and I had just stumbled into my room aboard Black Manta's ship. The weight of my questions and guilt was exhausting me. "It's not like we haven't done worse." I snapped back to my conscience. "It's just another assignment. It's exactly the same." I took off my mask and stared at my reflection in the small mirror on the wall of my new _home._ I didn't deserve a home, not when I was about to destroy someone else's. "Except it's not and you know it." My mind retorted. I hated it when my conscience was right.

The girl across from me looked tired. Her green eyes conflicted with her pale Caucasian skin like a vat of poison against a sheet of paper. Dark circles rested under her red-rimmed eyes. A long, white scar stretched across her left cheek: a bitter reminder weakness. Her face was serious, but her eyes were crying out for comfort. It was obvious that she was alone to carry the burdens that were thrown upon her shoulders every single day of her life. Her long black hair hung about her like a waterfall of ink. She looked miserable…. With a sudden spurt of rage, I smashed my fist into the mirror in front of me. Why couldn't I be—normal? Why did I have to the 14-year-old assassin? Why couldn't I have parents that loved me? My biggest question was this: Why did I have to be…evil? I was a killer. I couldn't live like this anymore, but who would help a criminal like me?

I lay down on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. I had three days until Mount Justice was destroyed. Was that enough time to do something about it? I sure hoped so.

**Robin:**

A thick cloud of sorrow was resting over the team. I had never really known Artemis as well as M'gann or Conner, but it still hurt to see her image in the grotto. She shouldn't have died. I felt my teeth clench. Kaldur would pay. No one kills a member of this team and gets away with it. The Light would burn to the ground: one by one they would go down. I glanced at the computer screen in front of me. A nearly empty file winked back at me from the glowing screen. I had been researching on this "Phantom" to get my mind off the fact that one of us had died. Plus, I hated not knowing the facts. This girl was literally a phantom. There wasn't actually proof that she existed: Just a bunch of suspected sightings and a bunch of pictures of shadowy figures and glimpses of a silver side of a mask. I glared at the file before standing up and turning towards the zeta tubes. My "quest" for justice had to start somewhere. I needed answers about the Light, and I had a feeling that Phantom would have a good idea about their plans. It was a total a guess, but I felt as if fate was telling me that she would be in Gotham. And Batman had told me to trust my instincts. Besides, I still harbored some resentment towards her from our last encounter. I wouldn't fail this time, though.

**How was it? I know it was short, but I finally have an idea on what I want to happen in the middle of this story. Please R&amp;R! I would love to hear from you guys!**


	7. Chapter 6

**I'm back! This chapter took a little longer because I had to finish my application for some super smart middle school/ high school. Btw: I'm not exactly sure on what I want Phantom's real name to be. Any suggestions?** **Please feel free to ask any questions or leave suggestions in the comments or pm me.**

**Disclaimer: What do you think?**

Phantom:

I tried to look non- suspicious as I passed a couple on the sidewalk. It felt weird to be in civvies after all that time dressed in "uniform" on Manta's ship. I wore a simple black leather jacket and jeans to protect myself from the chilly Gotham air as I wandered the streets, alone. That would probably be an extremely stupid thing to do if you weren't a kick butt teenage assassin. Lucky me. I don't really know why I was out here. Slade would have my head (maybe literally) if he knew where I was, but then again…. this was the last place where things hadn't seemed as horrible as they were. I had seen Jade and Lian and…. a better conversationalist than people I usually took out (Robin). It seemed unnaturally calm for a night out in Gotham. I brought my thoughts back to the present and looked around at my surroundings. The brightly lit shop windows and happily chatting couples were gone. I was surrounded by grimy, worn down buildings and I didn't see any evidence of people besides shadows. I was in the east side of Gotham. Shoot. 'Stupid.' I scolded myself. I was basically asking, no. Begging, for trouble. Speaking of which—"You lost, baby doll?" I whipped around to see a gang of seedy looking men behind me. I hadn't been paying enough attention to the action around me. Darn it. I grit my teeth and subtlety clenched my fists. This was so not going to end well.

Robin:

It was quiet…. almost too quiet. The calm always came before the storm, as some would say. I just hoped that storm wouldn't come too soon. The last thing that we needed would be another wave of chaos after Artemis's death was still fresh in our minds. I looked out on the streetlights of Gotham. I didn't see any signs of a female assassin anywhere. Maybe my gut instinct was wrong, but I was supposed to trust my "bat-intuition". My thoughts were brought to the present at the sounds of a fight nearby. It wasn't that uncommon: I was in the east side of Gotham, after all. It was probably some gang scuffle. I had half the mind to let them take each other out until I heard the shouts of "Get the witch!" and "Get away from me! I don't want to hurt you!" That last one was new. I swung over to the next rooftop and was greeted by the sight of a single girl who was backed into an alley way fighting off a group of more than 10 men…and winning. You usually didn't see that in civilians. More and more men seemed to get involved with each man that fell, though. They were hungry for a fight, apparently. I didn't get involved for some odd reason. I still don't why I didn't swoop down there and join the fight. I was _supposed_ to save damsels in distress, but then again…. the only people who seemed distressed were the guys getting their butts kicked by a teenager.

Dark sunglasses covered her eyes and her hair was done up in what seemed to be chopsticks. She looked like someone who you would pass by on the street and then forget about. But she was obviously well trained. She effortlessly grabbed and twisted a man's arm as he swung a punch at her head and threw him into another man. She knocked both out with two kicks to the head. The fight seemed to stop for a moment as the thud of two unconscious bodies hit the concrete seemed to echo in the alley. One man looked down at his 17th fallen comrade and drew out a grimy crowbar as others began to grab their weapons. "Girl, that was not wise." He snarled and raised his bar of thick steel, preparing to strike.

Phantom:

Where did all these men come from? I dodged one sloppily thrown punch and kneed someone in the gut (I stopped paying attention to individuals a _long_ time ago). I kind of slipped into some sort of trance. I didn't really pay attention to who I was hurting. I was in "kill mode" or more like "knock out mode" since I hadn't even brought out my knives yet. Frankly, I needed this: a chance to vent out my feelings and train. Of course, the nice and easy knocking out cycle had to be broken when some idiot brought out his crowbar. Great. Now I actually _had _to hurt them, or they would hurt me.

The crowbar seemed to move in slow motion as it swung down towards my head. I felt my arms move instinctively up to shield myself. My hands moved up to my hair and gripped the cold metal handles of my favorite…. accessories. With a speed that even Deathstroke would be proud of, I pulled out my knives and blocked the bar of steel right above my forehead. I felt my long hair tumble free and whip around me as I knocked the weapon out of my attacker's hand and pressed the blade of my left knife against his neck. "Stop. NOW." I growled forcefully. The rest of the crowd backed off at the sight of gleaming silver against dark flesh. "I'm done playing." I said calmly. I pushed the man away from me and he landed in a heap in front of the other attackers. I tried to push past all the rest without any trouble to get out of the alley. I felt the glares of several people burn into my back, but I sent everyone a few blood chilling ones of my own. The alleyway was only 20 feet long, and I only needed to walk/run 10 more till I was free. But fate had different plans. I heard the click of a gun being locked too late. I dove into the pavement just as a loud bang echoed in the alleyway. Agony ripped across my left shoulder, but I jumped up and threw one of my knives with my good hand. A satisfying thud was heard as it embedded itself into the brick wall across from me and pinned my attacker's coat sleeve to the wall. The gun fell to the ground as he struggled to get away. I felt blood trickle down from my shoulder, but I strode over to him, never the less. He was at least a few feet taller than me, but the fear in his eyes as I approached him would have been hilarious if…. you know, my arm wasn't bleeding. "Thanks for playing." I whispered before slamming my fist into his jaw. His head jerked back and crashed into the wall behind him. The crowd was cleared out by the time he was unconscious. I finally allowed myself to groan and clutch my shoulder. I was alone with the body…or so I thought. Slow applause sounded from behind me. I whipped around, ignoring the scream of protest my shoulder gave in response. I glared at the approaching figure. I did _not _need this now. "Gee, Princess. You seem more angry now than when you were with me." I had the grace to smirk before clenching my teeth in pain. The blood loss was starting to get to me. "You just couldn't stay away, could you, Little Bird?" I laughed mirthlessly. I just had to be stupid enough to come out here tonight.

**Please tell me your opinion! Was it ok? I'm sorry for making y'all wait so long! Please R&amp;R!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hey! I'm back with a new chapter because I like you guys ( : **

**Special thanks to Skylart! Thank you for the ideas! I'll try to add them as best as I can!**

**This is just for future reference: I'm sorry if Phantom's personality is a little shaky and not really defined...I'm still ironing the kinks out. I also apologize if Tim or anyone else is ooc. I felt like season 2 didn't really show Tim's character as much, so I'm kind of going off of Dick's personality from season 1...**

**Disclaimer: HA HA HA HA HA HA...oh, wait you were serious? Fine. I don't own anything. Happy?**

Robin:

It was obviously her because a) her skills b) her snarky, but non-genuine attitude. She still managed to look intimidating in jeans and a bloody leather jacket. Her left shoulder was dripping blood from the bullet wound, but she still held on to her other knife, clearly not happy to see me. I smirked at her annoyed expression but instantly became worried at her obviously severe blood loss. Hey, she might have been a villain, but she was still human. Besides, Alfred would kill me if I let someone bleed to death in front of me. I took a step towards her, but she immediately flinched and stepped back as if I had slapped her. "Don't. Touch. Me." She growled. She moved her feet into a fighting stance and clutched her shoulder tightly. Her shoulders tensed up, but she didn't move any farther away. She couldn't, I realized. She was obviously exhausted. "I'm just trying to help, Princess." I snapped back at her. If she was surprised by my reaction, she didn't show it. "I don't need your help. Why would you want to help me? I'm one of the _bad guys_, remember?" Her voice held an underlying note of bitterness when she asked the last question. "Hey, I'm not the one bleeding all over the sidewalk." I answer back nonchalantly, but I begin to grow concerned against my will. "Just let me look at it." I sighed as the better part of my conscience got to me. "I already told you—"

"I know and I don't really care. I…. just don't want to see someone else die right in front of me, ok?" She looked surprised at my sudden change of attitude. "Fine."

Phantom:

He cautiously moved towards me and I rolled my eyes behind my sunglasses. "I'm in too much pain for me to bite, Little Bird." I surprised myself with my own honesty. I never admitted that I was hurt. EVER. I brushed that fact to the side and studied his face. He seemed…genuine about wanting to help me…that was a first. "Wait. How do I know that you won't hurt me?" I raised an eyebrow. "You don't, but you were the one who offered to help. It's your choice." My voice sounded nonchalant, but I was really begging for help. I couldn't explain something like a bloody bullet wound to Slade! He would punish me severely. The scar on my cheek seemed to throb at the memory of the first time I had disobeyed.

_The woman's eyes widened in terror. "No! Please! I have a family!" Slade just stared at her coldly through his mask. "Your husband needs to learn his place. This is just a warning to him from the Shadows." His voice was as cold as ice, but I could hear a smirk in it. "Maybe he'll think twice about betraying them next time." My seven year old self had been too naïve to really understand what happened next. I should have known. He had been giving me subtle hints about it for weeks now: my first kill; my first mark in assassins' history. He turned away from the bound woman lying on the grass in front of us and took out a small hand pistol from his belt. At least I knew that someone was going to die, but I didn't know that I would be the killer. Slade handed me the gun, his one visible eye emotionless. "Kill her." Was all he said. I couldn't hide my surprise. "What?" I squeaked out. "Kill her." He repeated. The gun was forcefully jammed into my hand, and my eyes probably widened comically. Without even thinking I lowered the gun. "Why?" I felt my lip tremble. "Just do it! How dare you question me!" My eyes widened, and even though I tried to hide them, tears began to trickle down my cheeks. "But—but what about her family? They need a mother! Who will take care of them?" His visible eye twitched in anger. "That's not important! Now, do it." His voice was cruel and cold. The woman's eyes traveled back and forth between us. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she said nothing. I hadn't moved, my eyes locked with hers. 'Help me.' They seemed to cry out. "Fine." I heard the click of Slade upholstering another gun and closed my eyes, expecting him to shoot her instead of me. But, I was shocked to feel the cold barrel of his gun press into the back of my head. "Kill her, or I kill you." He whispered into my ear. "Now." I felt my entire frame shake, but I raised the gun so that it was aimed straight at the woman's head. 'I'm sorry…so sorry.' I think before looking away from her pleading eyes and pulling the trigger. I didn't look as I heard the thud of a body falling to the ground. I took a deep to steel myself for a long, loud lecture from Slade, but what I got was a smack across the face with something sharp. I fell to the ground and gingerly touched my cheek. A small trickle of blood wets my fingers. Slade stands above me with a small knife. "Take that as a lesson. Now, get up!" He threw the knife at my feet and began to walk out of the house. "The helicopter will be leaving in exactly five minutes." I didn't say anything. I was crying too much to care. Even though I was deliberately not looking at the body, but the metallic scent of blood seemed to fill my nose and mouth, suffocating me. "I'm sorry." I began to sob and for some reason, I crawled over to the woman's body and gently cradled her head. Blood stained my lap, but I didn't care. My heart suddenly clenched as my sadness turned into anger and hatred towards Slade."I'll avenge you…someday." I whispered and stood up. Something inside me changed that day. I wasn't a little, carefree girl anymore. I was Phantom, and I a killer._

I was pulled back to the present by a jolt of pain running through my arm. My teeth gritted in pain. "Careful!" I snapped at Robin. "Calm down! I just need to look at it! Do you always yell at people who are trying to help you?" (A.N. season one reference…sorry, I couldn't resist) I rolled my eyes behind my sunglasses. "No. You're just special, Little Bird. " I growled sarcastically, but tried to remove my jacket with my good hand to let him examine the bullet wound…. without much success. 'Way to look stupid' I thought to myself. 'Now, I may actually have to kill him for seeing me so weak.'

Robin:

I stared at her for a long moment before sighing. "Let me get it." I reached out, but she tried to move away again. I was about to make some comment about her being too arrogant to accept my help until I saw the expression on the visible part of her face. She looked….scared, almost. "Hey. I won't hurt you. It's against the Bat code to attack an already injured and bleeding to death assassin." She seemed to relax at my sorry attempt at humor. I slowly pried the jacket off her shoulders to reveal a fitted black tank top which clearly showed off the bloody wound in her left shoulder. I squinted at the wound for a long moment, but it is way too dark to see the true extent of the damage. "It's too dark down here." I glanced around, looking for a better place to clean the bullet wound. My eyes suddenly freeze on the rooftop above us. "Can you stand up?" She struggled to get to her feet. "Of course." She wobbly stood up, only to have her knees give out on her. Without thinking, I stepped forward and caught her. "Umm…thanks?" she said breathlessly, yet awkwardly. I had caught her by practically dipping her like we were dancing. (AN: Its awkwardly worded, I know)"Yeah…no problem." I mumbled, not moving for a long moment. Our faces were only a few inches apart, though it wasn't like I was paying attention to any of that….how juvenile would that be? She leaned in for a moment, but quickly pulled back and awkwardly cleared her throat. "I guess that I'm weaker from blood loss than I thought." I swallowed hard and nodded. "Here, I got you." I picked her up bridal style and scaled the building, ignoring the fact that she was unhealthily light. She didn't protest or say anything, but was completely stiff as I carried her and set her down on the rooftop. With the light from the skyscrapers, etc., I was able to tell that the bullet had cleanly entered and exited her shoulder. All it would need was cleaning and stitches. I carefully began to clean her wound with a disinfectant I store in my utility belt (Batman always said to be prepared) and tried not to seem like I noticed the way her breath hitched as it obviously stung. Her hands were clenched in tight fists and I could see little red crescents where her nails bit into her flesh. Her mouth was set in a grim line, but she stayed silent through the entire procedure. The silver knives that she usually wore in her _hair,_ apparently, were scattered on the rooftop a few feet away from us. I could sense her eyes keep flicking towards them, but she didn't move.

Phantom:

It _hurt_. Honestly, it seemed like he was trying to inflict the most amount of pain on me in my state. But…somehow I knew that he wasn't. Curse heroes and their genuine need to help people. It made my job so much harder. It piled on guilt and shame all the time, but I guess that us "villains" were used to it. What was the point of trying to be someone you're not? I glanced at my knives once again. How was I going to get away when he was done? He obviously was going to take me in for questioning, but he had decided to patch me up first before sending me to prison. What a _gentleman_. I rolled my eyes behind my sunglasses and bit my lip to keep from crying out when he poured more disinfectant onto my bullet wound. But I guess I could be grateful for the fact that the bullet went clean through my shoulder. I tried to think of something happy to get my mind off the pain as he began the stitches. Umm...I didn't really have any happy memories to go off of...well, maybe except meeting Jade...and even Robin, I guess. He was much more talkative than Slade at least. I felt my cheeks flush a little at the memory of leaning forward to almost...kiss him? No, why would I do that? I mean, seriously: me and a hero? How juvenile would that be? He probably hated me, anyway. I had screwed up his mission earlier and now he had to patch me up: not exactly a win win for him.

I was brought to back to the present when I realized he was talking. "Why were you in Gotham?" My lips formed a smirk as I resumed my sassy facade. "Wouldn't you like to know." He ignored my comment and continued. "Why did you start that fight in the first place, anyway? And why didn't you bring out your weapons at first instead of waiting till the end?" The smirk dropped and openly stared at him. "You were stalking me?" "Not exactly." He didn't elaborate, and I rose an eyebrow. "Should I be flattered or creeped out?" "Shouldn't you be used to people trying to watch your every move?" He countered smoothly. I raised an eyebrow. "Not many people know that I exist. Im more covert...until recently. You should feel special that you do." My voice held a sarcastic edge to it. "Gee, I'm honored, Princess." He halfheartedly mumbled while finishing up the stitches. I stiffen as that nickname finally starts to get to me. "Don't call me that." "Why not? You do act all high and mighty anyway." I brush off the comment and try to ignore its sting. " I'm not a princess. I'm an assassin." I deadpanned before pushing him away as I sat up, not willing to go through the whole "Our faces are only two inches apart" thing all over again. My eyes immediately travel towards the row of neat stitches along my left shoulder. He really did do a good job. "Thanks." I said quietly, torn between wanting him to hear it or not. His shoulders tensed up in surprise, but he nodded. "I'm going to have to take you in for questioning." He informed me while reaching to his utility belt for a pair of handcuffs. I rolled my eyes and sighed. This is where it got ugly. "I can't and won't go with you." "Wanna bet?" My narrowed eyes met his masked ones. "You're on, Little Bird."

**Yay! Another cliffhanger...sorry about that. BTW: Italic paragraph=flash back. Please R&amp;R!**


	9. Chapter 8

**...I really don't know what to say...I'm sorry! i know I haven't updated in a REALLY long time(I have my reasons...but they're all ****pretty crappy). However, I've gotten over my writer's block and am actually making some progress in the story(finally). I still need a little help on what her name should be. So far, I kinda like Aidan, Catherine, Divess, or Destiny...truth be told, I haven't thought about it that much. What do you guys think? I'm totally open to any suggestions on anything in the story.**

**Thanks to all who are following this and decided to put up with my long absences. I really appreciate it!**

**Disclaimer: I'll add owning young Justice to my list of "Things I really want to but don't own" along with Batman, Star Wars, and a car. I do own Phantom and the plot line, though**

Phantom:

Note to self: Never leave home without a gun

You know...one side of my brain was actually pretty smart. It had this lovely habit of giving me great advise and reminders. Unfortunately, it had the worst sense of timing.

I tried to swoop kick Robin's legs out from under him from my position on the roof with no luck. Thank you, Karma! He easily sprang out of the way and moved to pin me on my back. I bit my cheek so hard that I could taste blood, but I managed to scramble up and out of the way before he could, thankfully. My eyes flickered over to my knives laying 17 unhelpfully far away feet away from us before going back to the whites of Robin's domino mask. His shoulders tensed as if he knew what i was thinking and he stepped so he was blocking my way. My lips curled up in displeasure. Ohh...that's the way he wanted to play, huh?

My vision seemed to sharpen as I narrowed my eyes behind my tainted sunglasses (that hadn't fallen off yet...thankfully). Red crescent marks formed where my nails bit into my palms. This was why Slade trained me instead of sending a bullet through my head when we first met: I had a survival instinct so desperate to live that it overrides my sense of right and wrong. Just like him. It was my "super power." I had a kill mode.

"Get the hell out of my way." If he was surprised at my language, he didn't show it as he ducked under my tiredly thrown punch. "We can't have you leaving too early, now, Princess." He chuckled humorlessly before unexpectedly throwing a kick to my gut. I internally winced at the movement, but dodged to the side and smacked the heel of my palm into the his temple. I couldn't really dominate offense at the moment. He continued to throw a barrage of attacks at me, unfazed. Some hit while others missed. My ears buzzed with the sounds of the city mixed with heavy breathing as we matched each other blow for blow. I tried to keep up, but he eventually slammed a knee into my gut and landed a punch right on my bad shoulder. My jaw, which he painfully clipped with his foot afterwards, was a nice touch to add to my growing list of "Things that hurt right now." My vision blurred at the edges as my head hit the cold roof-hard. I groaned quietly and tried to prop up on my elbows but a sudden weight on my back pushed me back down.

"Don't hurt yourself. You'll be a nice, cozy cell soon enough."

"Your sense of humor is even less charming than usual, Little Bird."

"Your attitude is even worse."

"Hypocrite. That's exactly-" I didn't finish my sentence because I reached up and grabbed his arm. "Pick your battles wisely." I growled as I pulled and rolled out from under him. I lunged for my knives, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back down. I elbowed him in the face as made a move to knee him in the stomach. He was seriously not understanding that I really had to not get caught. I would rather not be brutally killed by Deathstroke...if that wouldn't be too much trouble. I swung my foot (which was, thankfully, clad in one of my steel tipped combat boots) at his head and used my momentum to pin his arms above his head as I used the rest of my body weight(not a lot...but still...) to push his upper body down.

"You're seriously getting annoying." I deadpanned.

"And yet..." He elbowed a nerve in my forearm that distracted me for a split second and flipped me off of him. My back roughly hit the roof, but I managed to give him a look of pure, utter disgust. "..I win." He then unceremoniously twisted my arm painfully behind my back and held me there.

"This is really adorable."

We both immediately noticed the figure casually leaning against one of the fire escapes of the building.

"I mean, honestly! You two are so cute!" She continued to gush and stepped into the light. "Unfortunately, I need to steal Phantom from you...more like save her, but that's off topic."

"Cheshire." Robin's voice has a tiny element of surprise but it mostly is anger. I craned my head to see her donned in her usual green silk suit and cheshire cat mask. Jade raised her hands in a non threatening manner. "I'm not here to fight." In contrast to her words, she twirled one of her sais in a carefree manner before pointing it at Robin. " Before you even ask, it's classified. So, get off and leave." Her voice turned stone hard and cold. I raised an eyebrow at her, but she didn't even look at me. "No chan-" I punched him in the jaw with my good arm and shoved him off while he was distracted. I threw a kick at his side: hard, but not hard enough to break one of his ribs before jumping away. My first instinct was to grab my knives and knock him out, but Cheshire grabbed my arm and pulled(dragged) me away. "You are so lucky I was here." She growled in my ear before throwing down a smoke bomb.

Robin's Pov:

The roof was blanketed in thick, purplish smoke as I sprang up and lunged at the place where they had been standing just before. My hands met only air as I stumbled forwards. I groaned inwardly as the smoke cleared and revealed that I was alone on the roof. I moved forward but froze when a metal clank sounded by my foot. My eyes narrowed as I noticed two glinting silver blades lying on the ground, as well as a bloody jacket: a perfect DNA sample.

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Phantom:

"Would you kindly explain why you just kidnapped me?" I asked in a not so nice tone as Jade dragged me across the rooftops. "I will once we get there." She answered(typical aloof Cheshire) and continued to run. "I really don't need this r-" "I need your help." She cut me off and slowed to a stop on the roof of a large apartment building. I looked at her in alarm. "Why?" She just shook her head. "It's too dangerous up here. Come on." Her fingers detached themselves from my upper arm as she took off her mask and slipped through an open widow leading into the building. I quickly followed her into a sparsely furnished yet immaculate apartment. "...is this yours?" I asked incredulously as I surveyed the room. No pictures lined the plain, yellow walls and a worn couch rested against the back of the room and I could see the kitchenette was spotless. "Yes...well, it's Lian's, my, and Ro-my husband's place." I rose an eyebrow at her. "You came back to him?" I remembered one incident a year ago in which Jade had been sobbing on the floor of my room in Slade's house while he was out and me holding her as she told me about her relationship with a now obsessed with finding his original Red Arrow. She had really loved him back then and it was obvious from the way her features softened when she said the word "husband" that she still did.

Something about that memory caused something in my chest to ache. Maybe it was just the concept of someone always being there for you or loving you unconditionally...someone who was solid: a firm foundation to depend on and something that lasted. Something that I wanted, but couldn't have. Attachment was something unheard of among assassins. Cheshire had gotten out of that life...and now she had this. It was obvious that her pay wasn't as great, but she seemed so happy. The only way that I would get something like that was if I stopped all of this: the killing, the lies, the guilt. I wanted freedom. But how was a demon like me supposed to get a slice of heaven?

"Of course." Jade walked into the kitchen and started to boil water. I stared at her back, surprised at how domestic she was being. However, it was quite obvious that something was extremely off. Was I missing something? She had Lian...her husband...maybe it was something with the Shadows? But Slade would have said something to me, then. Her father? No. He wouldn't attack her now that she had a kid. That only left-

"I'm guessing that you've heard the news?"

Her voice was hard and cold yet sad. She motioned for me to sit at the tiny wooden kitchen table in the corner and set down two steaming mugs of tea: jasmine, I think. Ok. If nothing had signaled that she was upset this did. She had always said that tea brought back too many memories from her childhood.

"No." I straightened my sunglasses and folded my hands on the table. "What news?" Jade narrowed her eyes at me. "...You really don't know?" I frowned at her, wondering exactly what Slade's had been keeping me in the dark about. "Would I lie to you?" My words were playful, but my tone was dangerous. I couldn't stay much longer. It was already 10:45pm. I needed to be back before midnight. "Lian's sleeping in the other room. Keep your voice down." She avoided my question entirely and absentmindedly stirred her tea. Silence covered both of us for a long moment.

"My sister is dead." My eyes immediately snapped to her face as she just stared blankly at the wall across from her. "That spawn of Black Manta murdered her in cold blood." She continued, her knuckles turning white as she gripped her mug. "His own past teammate." I stared at her in thinly concealed shock as I registered what she had just said. Artemis? I personally had never met her, but I knew how much she meant to Jade, even though they disagreed when it came to the law. I usually wasn't one for physical contact, but I placed a hand over hers. "...no one told me." What was I supposed to say? I had never done this before! "I'm sorry for your loss." I said quietly, letting my voice hold a hint of sadness and sympathy. Jade just stared ahead, unblinking. "I want him dead." Her voice came out in a low growl. "I want his body to crumble to the ground just like her's did. He needs to suffer. I need to avenge her death."

I met her gaze, unfazed. "And he's my boss. How am I supposed to kill him?" She pushed her cup away and rested her head in her hands. "You wouldn't. I would. I can't ask you to kill, Phantom: not after I see how much you hate it." I stared at her but said nothing. "Don't deny it. We both know the truth: you are not a carbon copy of Deathstroke like everyone thinks. You would rather be fighting crime than committing it." Jade rose an eyebrow at me. "And that's why I'm asking for you to help me. You care about other things than your 'mission.'" I studied my hands as she continued to talk. "We don't have much time. I only need you to be my inside person. I need to know his weaknesses, his faults. He needs to go down." She was speaking more to herself now than me. "My father has already agreed to help, even if it is only to protect his rep. The date for an attack hasn't been set, yet, but it will be soon. So..." Jade gave me desperate look. "What do you say?" I blinked at her and said nothing for moment. "When do we start?" My face was emotionless, but my voice carried the answer she needed: yes.

################################################################################################################################

I silently slipped through the dim corridors of Black Manta's ship, watching out for any signs of Slade. I must have been a sight: clad only in black leggings, boots, and a tank top(which clearly showed off my gunshot wound and older scars) with my hair tumbling down to my waist, untamed. At least my sunglasses were in place. You couldn't be too careful with the backwater scum they kept on this underwater prison.

I almost made it to my room without getting caught. I blame my stupid sense of curiosity, quite honestly. I enjoyed questioning anything way too much.

"...yes. We need to get it to them tomorrow...of course. Don't get caught." I heard a soft mutter of voices behind a set of metal doors which I realized lead to Kaldurahm's room. I should've kept walking, but I didn't. Instead, I casually leaned against the door and pressed my ear against it. Snippets of the conversation slipped out as I listened.

"Does anyone else know?"

"No...they are all under the impression that you're dead."

"Save Dick and Wally."

"yes."

"What now?"

"We attack tomorrow. Don't give away your identity. We have orders not to tell."

"...what about your father?"

"He can't and won't know for now. The time to finish the plan will come soon."

"Of course."

The faint click of footsteps approached from the other side of the door. I quickly backed away and tried to disappear down the hallway, but a voice stopped me. "Phantom?" Tigress leaned against the wall in a slightly threatening way. "Have you been out?" I stood with a forced relaxed posture and trained my voice to be emotionless. "That's not exactly your business, is it? I'm heading over to my room right now, so please excuse me." She grabbed my arm before I could walk away. "What happened to you?" Her voice was laced with something strange-was that concern? I saw her eyes narrow behind her orange and black mask as she surveyed my fresh stitches and the silver scars that decorated my skin. "The job." I said softer than I meant to and yanked my arm out of her grip. "I can take a hit. My age doesn't matter. It's not your job to worry about me." I growled and stared her down. "I'm not worried." She shot back and crossed her arms over her chest. "Your eyes say differently." We both stood firm as we continued our little staring contest.

After a moment, I turned and walked to my room, this time without any interference. My mind began to roam as I took off my sunglasses and changed into more comfortable clothes. Tigress had always struck me as odd. What assassin openly worried about her teammates? And furthermore, what exactly had she and Kaldur been talking about? What were they keeping a secret and who was 'them'?"

I walked over to my sink and shattered mirror and began to delicately scrub my face of all the dirt and grime that covered it. However, that wasn't the only thing that came off. Thick concealer washed off of my face to reveal a long, silvery-pink scar that ran from my jaw, over my left cheek, and stoped at my temple. I traced it with my finger and stared at my cracked and disoriented reflection across from me. The scar only marred one half of my face, so the other was fine. 'Is this what Two Face feels like? Having to live with the fact that only one half of you is beautiful?' I thought humorlessly and scooped my hair into a long, messy ponytail.

I settled in my hard, sorry excuse for a bed and closed my eyes as I began to make my mental to do list for the next day.

1\. Find Kaldurahm's weak spots for Jade

2\. Research Tigress's background

3\. Get new knives and a jacket

4\. Don't die

Gee. I had such a great life.


End file.
